...or, How to Go for Tarzan Yell instead of Tarzan Fell - As a judge, I've seen writers fall into these basic pitfalls. I also give tips on how to avoid them!
One thing I’m reading now has both showing AND telling. As in:
He’d always wondered about sunsets. He didn’t want to destroy the magic by learning about them, though. “I wonder why sunsets are so colourful,” he wondered, “but I’ll never look it up. I’m not a magic-destroying kind of guy.”
Another of my pet peeves is short stories that are “conversations” consisting of bar scenes in which one character yells philosophy at the others while they nod. It doesn’t move plot. Is it a moment that reveals character of the yeller or the listener? Nope, it’s the whole story. We’ll never know if the nodders are secretly making mental grocery lists but staying for old times’ sake or perhaps hope of free beer; we’ll never know if the yeller is a disappointed MPP or a university dropout that’s about to fall into a river and leave the barmaid his fortune.
I guess it does reveal the character of the reader, since I sort of hold a grudge about having to read it. 😬
Sounds like I should write a couple of short stories. Or scenes for my current novel, maybe. 🤔 😂
lol - oh, don't get me started on tell-don't-show... There's a book out there that illustrates this brilliantly (and yet, somehow, is liked by many people!)
Good call on the "conversations" angle. That's actually coming up in the last post of this series -- and in two different facets. Spoiler alert: I agree with you 100%. (But that's usually the case, so I'm not sure why it's a spoiler... lol)
One thing I’m reading now has both showing AND telling. As in:
He’d always wondered about sunsets. He didn’t want to destroy the magic by learning about them, though. “I wonder why sunsets are so colourful,” he wondered, “but I’ll never look it up. I’m not a magic-destroying kind of guy.”
Another of my pet peeves is short stories that are “conversations” consisting of bar scenes in which one character yells philosophy at the others while they nod. It doesn’t move plot. Is it a moment that reveals character of the yeller or the listener? Nope, it’s the whole story. We’ll never know if the nodders are secretly making mental grocery lists but staying for old times’ sake or perhaps hope of free beer; we’ll never know if the yeller is a disappointed MPP or a university dropout that’s about to fall into a river and leave the barmaid his fortune.
I guess it does reveal the character of the reader, since I sort of hold a grudge about having to read it. 😬
Sounds like I should write a couple of short stories. Or scenes for my current novel, maybe. 🤔 😂
lol - oh, don't get me started on tell-don't-show... There's a book out there that illustrates this brilliantly (and yet, somehow, is liked by many people!)
Good call on the "conversations" angle. That's actually coming up in the last post of this series -- and in two different facets. Spoiler alert: I agree with you 100%. (But that's usually the case, so I'm not sure why it's a spoiler... lol)
Good points, all.
Thanks, Terry!
It gets better in Parts 2 and 3...